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To have a conversation with Superintendent Dr. Richard “Dicky” Barlow is to get at least one good book recommendation—but probably several. He’s an avid reader, and for the past several years, he’s been narrowing in on books about hospitality, customer service and company culture. Here are some of his favorites.
Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect by Will Guidara
We can’t publish a hospitality issue without mentioning this New York Times bestseller and Barlow favorite. In it, author and restaurateur Will Guidara explains how he turned a mediocre brasserie into the best restaurant in the world—through radical acts of service. Although this book focuses on the food and beverage industry, Guidara’s philosophy and lessons apply to anyone who has ever served a customer or client. Claiming the book “rocked his world,” Barlow asked his administrative team at Alabama’s Mountain Brook Schools to read it. Together, they started thinking about how to actively enhance the everyday experiences of both students and parents. (Already read it and loved it? Try Setting the Table by Danny Meyer or The Heart of Hospitality by Micah Solomon for more great secrets from the service industry.)
How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen by David Brooks
Citing both anecdotal evidence and scientific research, New York Times columnist and bestselling author David Brooks offers practical suggestions for going beyond surface-level conversations—such as listening actively and asking the right questions—in order to make deeper connections. Among other things, How to Know a Person helped Barlow and his team define what hospitality actually means at Mountain Brook Schools: creating “a home away from home” where every person feels seen, heard and valued.
Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your People Like Family by Bob Chapman and Raj Sisodia
As the former CEO of Barry-Wehmiller, a $3.6 billion equipment company with 12,000 employees, Chapman weathered the Great Recession without cutting jobs. The company came out the other side with even higher morale, and the author emerged with a philosophy he calls “truly human leadership.” His central argument? You should treat every employee with the same care and dignity as you would treat your own children. Chapman practiced what he preached over the course of more than 100 acquisitions, continuing to prioritize people first for smooth transitions every time.
Barlow credits this book with completely changing how he treats his staff. For one, it taught him to care for his teachers first—which, in turn, prompts them to pass that same care on to their students. Barlow also used the book's thesis in planning meetings with teachers and staff, asking them what kind of employer they’d want for their loved ones. Their answers helped Barlow and his team determine what kind of employer Mountain Brook should be going forward.
Fans First: Change the Game, Break the Rules and Create an Unforgettable Experience by Jesse Cole
Part memoir and part how-to guide, this book was written by the one-of-a-kind founder of the Savannah Bananas baseball team. Disenchanted with the major leagues, Cole designed the amateur Savannah Bananas games not only to engage every single fan through all nine innings, but also to make each one of them feel special. It worked: There’s now a yearslong waitlist to see one of their games. Just as Cole wondered if other teams were doing baseball all wrong, reading Fans First caused Barlow to ask, "Are we doing school wrong?”—and, perhaps more importantly, “How could we do school more right?"
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